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Ramblin’ Along with the Riff Raff

14 May

Today, we focus our attention on a peripatetic quartet called Hurray for the Riff Raff. While the band’s crowded palette of melodious Americana beauty and bayou folk is enjoyable in itself, Hurray for the Riff Raff is really the story of the lead singer whose twangy tune, southern flair, and attractive vocalizations elevate the honky-tonk conglomeration to a musical diversity that would be lacking without her.

The singer (front and a little left in the image above) is Alynda lee Segarra, a mid-20’s Puerto Rican from the Bronx whose young nomadic ways led her to New Orleans where she pursued music and released two records in 2008 and 2010. In 2011, the UK record label Loose Music released Hurray for the Riff Raff which compiled the best songs from her first two records. Alynda met a folk outlet called the Tumbleweeds and they latched on to her and formed Hurray for the Riff Raff. Their first album, Look Out Mama, was released May 1.

Hurray for the Riff Raff features a bounty of influences. It’s expansive folk sound is commodious and comfortable, and Alynda’s sweet croon jumps out at listeners like Florence Welch’s voice did at first listen. In some way, the voices are alike. Florence’s voice is more operatic, powerful, indie, and British, while Alynda’s is smoky and bluesy with this dark rust analogous with true, inspired Americana. It seems like an odd choice of description but if I was to describe Alynda’s voice it would be American.

“Look out Mama,” the title track, is the perfect example of this. Alynda’s voice complements the fiddle with this sincere acoustic simplicity that mentally transports listeners to a mixture between cornfields and sticky swamps. The song itself is blues/folk at its finest, infectious, and, come on, an impromptu yodel sneaks into the ending. How cool is that? I mean, really, that is awesome. I apologize for my boyish enthusiasm, but subdued yodeling can bring that out of me, I guess.

“Lake of Fire,” track six on the record, plays a little differently than “Look out Mama.” The full range of the band is heard. The piece is a throwback. It is a combination between 60’s SoCal surf and upbeat pop/blues. It’s a good example of how diverse the band’s sound is, and it also demonstrates the range of Alynda’s voice.

The last piece I have for you is not on the album, but I just think it is an excellent cover of a song by my idol, John Lennon. Alynda’s mutual love for Mr. Lennon can be deciphered through her piece “Ode to John and Yoko,” a Beatles-inspired song on the album. Here is Alynda performing “Jealous Guy”

Minimalistic, relaxed, and well done.

Check out Hurray for the Riff Raff’s:

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A Quick One Before I Go: VE Day and Travel

8 May

Today we celebrate the 67th anniversary of VE day. Tomorrow I travel to the U.S. capital, and then take a taxi to National Harbor, Maryland, for a conference I must attend for work. Thus, I am feeling a little patriotic as this Tuesday work day comes to a close, and before I wrap up my stay in the office and bid you all adieu until next week (I may or may not have a chance to post until then), I want to leave you all with a little pride. What better way to celebrate a war victory than with “Ballad of the Green Berets.”

Songs often viewed as proud American classics tend to be jingoistic. “Ballad of the Green Berets,” in typical army fashion (as it is sung by a true staff sergeant who was recuperating from a leg wound suffered as a medic in Vietnam) is straight forward. Like a command, it tells the story of the brave men of the Green Berets, a U.S. special operations force.

The lyrics to this #1 hit that stayed at that spot for five weeks in 1966 were written by Robin Moore (he wrote “The French Connection” which mostly everyone knows as the movie). The lyrics were written in honor of Green Beret James Gabriel, Jr, the first native Hawaiian to be killed in Vietnam.

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A Prodigious Talent – The Blues of Gary Clark Jr.

7 May

I first heard of Gary Clark Jr. when he released his second EP Bright Lights back in the summer of 2011. It caught my ears and I immediately picked it up and shoved it onto my iPod as quickly as possible. He was a musical force to be reckoned with and it wasn’t difficult to recognize that. Since then, Gary Clark Jr. has done exactly what you would expect a blues wunderkind to do – tour festivals extensively and play with some of the greatest blues performers ever. Not a bad idea at all.

Gary Clark Jr. fits into a small grouping of modern-day blues guitar prodigies. Let’s add Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, Joe Bonamassa to this list as well. If we wanted to forget about age barriers let’s add Warren Haynes to that, for, while he is not young (well, I mean, neither is Bramhall), he still tirelessly performs today (and he is incredible and he was a prodigy). Interestingly, Gary Clark Jr. reminds me a little of Warren Haynes. Why? Well, the man is a triple threat. He can play rhythm and lead, sing wonderfully, and knows how to take a backseat to other performers on stage (an important trait to possess).

But do you know who Gary Clark Jr. reminds me of the most? His guitar tone is saturated with rich distortion and hooky riffs and rhythms much in the manner of Jimi Hendrix, another guitar prodigy, who just understood how to make the guitar sing. Now, please, in no way am I saying that he is equitable to one of the greatest guitar players to ever pick up the instrument. I am just saying that his style reminds me of Hendrix. And, actually, if Hendrix stayed alive, I think he would have moved into a realm that Gary Clark Jr. is beginning to explore – sticky, humid blues with creative distortion and grunty vocals.

“Bright Lights,” the song that represents this exploration, was featured by the NFL for the 2012 draft. It was a good choice because the song does talk of “Bright Lights” and since the draft was at Radio City Music Hall in NYC the selection was intelligent. It also reminded me of Gary Clark Jr. and I went on a bit of a listening binge – mostly live performances though because he just doesn’t have enough songs yet.

The next few years are going to be crucial. “Bright Lights” seems to suggest that Gary Clark Jr. may be able to do something that not many have been able to accomplish in the last 40 years, bring blues music into the tempting arms of popular pop music while maintaining the gritty roots of the song. “Bright Lights” does this perfectly. Check out this performance of the song from the Crossroads Festival in 2010. By the way, that is Bramhall II in the yellow shirt providing some extra lead depth.

The song is, as Steven Tyler would say, “crazy good.” The hard-hitting rhythm, heavy on the downbeat, mixes with Gary Clark Jr.’s soulful vocal that, if it wasn’t for his guitar skill, would be his strongest attribute. The song levels out for a while with this pounding riff and the bluesy vocals, but, it doesn’t last that way for long. The guitar of Gary Clark Jr. cannot be contained for long. His lead work is insane! The skill he expresses in his ability to command the guitar like it his voice and not his instrument is extraordinary. It is extraordinary in every sense of that word. Not many guitarists can even smell that talent. The tone is scary. When I first heard this song I dropped everything I was doing and stared, just stared. Check out the echo of his guitar around 3:30 – 4:00 into the song. Like, seriously! You actually feel the guitar may explode, he is so proficient.

Can he do traditional electric blues?

Check. Did you think he would have any problems with this? The wa-wa solo around 1:45 is a thing of beauty. It is eccentric, even alien, but that is what he can do. He takes what you expect from blues and manipulates it with his quick playing and distortion effects.

He is super talented and well-known right now. Wait a year or two and a widely-released LP and he will be known across America like Derek Trucks.

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Closing the Distance – Neal Casal

3 May

Neal Casal

While most of these new artist posts profile, well, new artists, I am going to change it up a bit and recognize a solo artist whom you may not know from his extensive solo material, but you very well could have heard of from his band-work.

Neal Casal is best known for his lead guitar with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals where he recorded four successful albums with the band. When the group went on hiatus in 2009, Casal continued with several projects, and, in 2011 joined forces with Black Crowes’ frontman Chris Robinson as lead guitarist for his project called the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. They are going to jump in the studio and cut an album, by the way.

As well as being a talented guitarist, Casal has an excellent voice, and band-work aside, he is an accomplished solo artist who just recently released his 10th studio album entitled Sweeten the Distance, a splendorous collection of engaging alt/country tracks. Let’s be honest. Many lead guitarists cannot sing. Casal can. He can sing well, really well, and such a voice can often fall to the background of a band with a leadman at center stage. His solo work allows him to shine and today I want to profile a couple of songs off of his new album.

Sweeten the Distance was recorded with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, Pernice Brothers, Lavender Diamond, the Fruit Bats), and the indie effect is noticeable. Songs feature creative layering with just the right amount of country twang. My favorite track off of the 10-track album is “Need Shelter.”

My initial thought after delving into the picked acoustic guitar and feasting on the whiny electric and laid back percussion was comfort. The music invokes images of a sun-doused grass and air that smells like sweet corn bread. It is melancholic but just so easy to sink your teeth into. Casal’s voice fits the melody well and sparked an immediate comparison to a countrier version of Josh Ritter. The song itself actually reminded me a bit of Ritter. The chorus features easy harmonies. Like I said, it is an exceptionally easy listen and it is engaging, and like any summer afternoon it fades away and ends too quickly.

“Time and Trouble” is the other track I have for you. This one is immediately different (the feedback comes as a bit of shock – but multifarious sounds are good especially when they are unexpected). Two guitars play over each other before Casal’s voice comes in to complete a Beatles/Stones-like rhythm that bops quickly and leads into a rich chorus jam-packed with harmonies, twang, and the easy-to-drum-along-with percussion. This song is more upbeat and gets you moving a bit. Great sound to this one as well.

The entire album can be streamed on Soundcloud and for more information check out Casal’s website

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Decoding for a Good Cause

2 May

Alright! We finally begin the devoted new band profile binge that I have been discussing for the past two weeks. And what a great way to kick it off with an alt/rock band that is using its late 90s throwback style to promote a good cause throughout May. Let’s talk about the band first and then we will go into what they are doing.

Decoded was born from a chance encounter between singer/guitarist Derek Jordan and producer Davey Julson-Rieley. Rieley has done mixes for a whole slew of bands including Dropkick Murphy’s, Skillet, Rise Against, and LCD Soundsystem. They put together a project of players, called themselved Decoded and are set to release their debut EP The Split this Spring.

Some of Decoded’s other material is a little rawer and grungier, but this is an excellent example of what solid vocals laid over a poppy alt/rock track can do. The reason I label “Open Season” and Decoded as a late 90s throwback is because this type of compact and precise alternative music latched on and engaged a whole scene for a few years. The song begins with a light riff over a heavy guitar, accentuating the riff which ensnares the listener. Jordan’s voice effortlessly sounds over the verse leading into a chorus rich with vocal swings and harmonies which fall almost immediately back into the verse. The fills during the verse – collapsing drums and firm electric – are excellent and the competent bass carries the verses with ease. After the third chorus, Decoded plays with the listener and toggles the audio in dueling guitars manner – which I like – and I love the end because it teases the verse. Great piece.

So what is Decoded doing that I find honorable? They are taking their residency at AMPLYFi in Los Angeles and sponsoring a campaign called Rock For A Difference Los Angeles! Every Thursday in May the band will share the stage with other acts in order to sponsor a different non-profit organization a night. It is charitable and a great use of a residency! Do you live in Los Angeles? Get out to one of these shows!

Here’s a list of the Los Angeles organizations that will be featured and on what dates:
May 3rd – Ace of Hearts – http://acesangels.org/
May 10th – Create Now! – http://www.createnow.org/
May 17th – Coalition for Clean Air – http://www.ccair.org
May 24th – HeARTS Giving Hope – http://www.heartsgivinghope.org/
May 31st – Rent.Food.Broke. – http://rentfoodbroke.com/

For more information on the band and Rock For a Difference check out the band’s:

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